Traditional means of maintaining the integrity of a firewall having a sleeve is comprised of placing a fire rated caulking compound in a sleeve, where such caulking hardens to maintain the integrity of the firewall. A commonly used product in the field of firewall barriers which has an acceptable UL listed fire rating is FIRE CEMENT™, which is made by the 3M corporation and is a synthetic polymer latex caulk which hardens to a cementius like consistency. The placement of such caulking in a sleeve does not allow access to the sleeve so that more wire or other connections through the firewall can be made at future dates, since the caulking hardens and is not readily removable. When more wires are needed through the sleeve, the caulking must be chipped away or drilled through, so as to access the sleeve since the caulking must be placed over the entire sleeve opening in order to insure that the sleeve is not a point of heat or flame transfer through the fire barrier. The chipping or drilling of the hardened caulking exposes the data transmission lines present in the sleeve to potential damage when more data transmission lines are needed through the sleeve, since the data transmission lines are encased in the caulking material. This is a particular point of caution since data transmission lines such as high-speed CAT 5, 5e and CAT 6 data transmission lines are highly sensitive to bending or crimping. CAT 5e and CAT 6 data lines are the most sensitive since they cannot be spliced when severed and great care must be taken to insure they are not damaged when trying to access the sleeve after the sleeve is initially sealed with the caulking since the rate at which data transferred through these lines is diminished or stopped if the lines are damaged. Also, CAT 5e and CAT 6 lines cannot be spliced. If CAT 5e and CAT 6 lines are damaged, the lines must be replaced in their entirety since they cannot be repaired. High-speed data transmission lines, when functioning properly ensure efficient data transfer, yet if damaged must be replaced. Replacement of such lines provides a high cost alternative to the simple act of adding more lines to a sleeve through a fire barrier. Therefore, there does not currently exist a means by which to access a sleeve having existing data transmission lines without risking damage to the lines present in the sleeve and providing an efficient removable fire barrier. Currently, it is not convenient or possible with traditional sealing methods to provide a means by which a sleeve can be accessed so as to insert more data transmission lines in the sleeve, and also provide a fire-rated sealing of the sleeve while preventing damage to existing low-voltage data transmission lines.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a fire-rated damper fitting, which easily accesses a sleeve which accommodates data transmission lines through the firewall.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a damper fitting which can be easily affixed to an existing sleeve so as to provide a device, which does not damage existing low-voltage data transmission lines in the sleeve.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide a damper fitting which is simple in construction and easy to install and remove.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device, which can be firmly affixed to a sleeve and incorporates a fire-rated putty to inhibit the passage of fire through the sleeve, yet can be easily removed without chipping or drilling.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a damper fitting which does not compress, crimp or bend data transmission lines so as to inhibit data transfer.